Shorting Out the Myths of Solar Power Electronics: What Fits and What Fails

Central and string inverters from players like SMA and Fronius have dominated the solar inverter landscape in recent years. However, the success of Enphase’s microinverters has given way to a near-revolution in the solar power electronics industry. Several start-ups emerged from stealth mode in 2010 – and more will continue to do so in 2011 – boasting many shades of DC-to-AC microinverter, DC/DC converter, and everything in between. But as their initial shine diminishes, these new products will not best the incumbents in all installations. And even in market segments where they do offer significant performance benefits and cost savings, gaining market share won’t come easy.